This article first appeare in the St Louis Beacon, March 4, 2009 - A GOP pollster hired by American Traffic Solutions, a firm that makes red-light cameras, told a state Senate panel this morning that a solid majority of Missourians support the devices.
But those same people wrongly believe they're outnumbered, because of all the publicity and furor focused on red-light opponents, the polling results show.
Red-light cameras are a hot topic in the St. Louis area, where several communities have installed them at key intersections (such as, Brentwood Boulevard and Manchester Road.)
Neil Newhouse, a partner and co-founder of the nationally respected Public Opinion Strategies polling firm, laid out to members of the Senate Transportation Committee the results of a 600-person survey conducted across Missouri in mid-February.
The panel is considering proposals to ban the cameras. The key sponsors include several Republican legislators, notably new state Sen. Jim Lembke, R-Mehlville. (The Senate transportation panel voted against Lembke's bill last week.)
(The prominence of Republicans against the cameras could explain why the manufacturer hired Public Opinion Strategies, which is deemed a GOP firm because its clients include major Republican candidates, and Newhouse used to be with the RNC.)
Newhouse acknowledged that the poll -- conducted on Feb. 12 and 15 (a Thursday and Sunday) with a margin of error of 4 percentage points -- had been commissioned by the red-light camera manufacturer. But he emphasized in a telephone interview that his reputation would be toast if he had conducted a tainted poll to please his clients.
The key findings:
-- Those polled "overwhelmingly support red-light cameras'' by a margin of 66 percent to 30 percent. The support spans partisan lines (self-identified Repubs are the strongest supporters -- 70 percent back the cameras -- while independents are the weakest at 60 percent support.).
-- Women are particularly strong backers, at 71 percent
-- But those polled also believe, by a margin of 47 percent to 30 percent, that a majority of Missourians oppose the camera.
-- Sixty-eight percent of those polled believe police should continue to use the cameras.
Newhouse called the pro-camera findings "one of the best-kept secrets in Missouri public opinion'' because of the disconnect between the views of those polled, and their perception of others' views.
He indirectly gave credit to the camera critics, who he said have been so vocal and visible that the public believes there are more opponents than there really are.
Newhouse said his firm saw similar, but less pronounced, results when it polled people in Arizona.
It'll be interesting to see how, or whether, this poll has any impact on the debate in Jefferson City over Lembke's proposed ban.
